Daniel Ferlan: 20 Years

Works of Daniel Ferlan, all courtesy of Mansfield Art Center: Hoofs dragging my Dear’s feet, 2019.

This exhibition represents the most comprehensive presentation of Daniel Ferlan’s career to date. Showcasing artworks from 1998 to present, it comprises more than 75 pieces specifically choreographed into “eras” of his work. This visual timeline can be compared to a gigantic story book that enchants and immerses the viewer into Ferlan’s reinvented folklore-like tales. The mass display ranges from imploding bold-lined, textured paintings to an appealing contrast of newer works that entail intricate, miniature characters placed strategically in Dutch-like landscapes. Hauntingly beautiful creatures, blooming lands of color, and personal symbolic relics all loosely imply various historical art references, naturally formed within the artist’s psyche. Despite Ferlan’s work being highly introspective, they are still able to be digested by any spectator, no matter what filter is applied.

Collector Thomas Arlen Wagner has supported Ferlan’s creative vision since the beginning. While initially attracted to the early impasto paintings, the transition into the meticulously detailed oil paintings all made conceptual sense to Wagner. “Ferlan’s work is a perfect representation of my collection due to their authenticity, curious depictions of life, and the dark playful energy that they all evoke.” A large portion of the art on view will be from Thomas Arlen Wagner’s personal collection, as well as borrowed from other private collectors.

“Viewing Ferlan’s work from the past twenty years all under one roof is a work of art in itself,” states Mansfield Art Center’s Executive Director George Whitten. The progression and subtle similarities that emerge from Ferlan’s early Fine Art career to the current, showcases how narrative driven his work is. Characters grow and merge into other painted ‘beings’ as the years progress. Ferlan’s large palette knife paintings dwindle down to minuscule brushes as time progresses. Symbolic forms found within the work can be repeatedly tracked throughout the exhibition, translating to various psychological portraits of his inner psyche.

The downstairs gallery will debut Ferlan’s brand new show entitled The Dragging of a Dear. This show is a beautiful prelude for what churns in the upstairs gallery.

View the blog on wynterwhiteside.com to follow along with the making of Daniel Ferlan: 20 Years.

This exhibition is presented by Hudson and Essex, and Cypress Hill Winery.

 

DANIEL FERLAN: 20 YEARS | OCTOBER 4-NOVEMBER 1

THOMAS ARLEN WAGNER, CURATOR AND WYNTER WHITESIDE, CO-CURATOR

OPENING RECEPTION 3-5PM SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

 

MANSFIELD ART CENTER

700 Marion Avenue

Mansfield, Ohio 44906

419.756.1700

Mansfieldartcenter.org